Words as Weapons
by ForeverWallflower
Summary: Galatea Villiers, a notorious SHIELD computer hacker, finds herself making an unlikely alliance with the Winter Soldier. They are both targets of HYDRA & in order to make it out alive, they must work together. He wants to uncover the memories of the man that the once was. All she wants is things to go back to normal, but its not that simple. POST CA:TWS - Bucky Barnes/OC
1. The Stranger

**FULL DESCRIPTION  
** Galatea Villiers, a notorious computer hacker and former SHIELD agent, is in HYDRA's bad side. Since she knows about classified and valuable information, HYDRA is out to hunt her down.

Betrayed by her allies, Galatea starts to put her walls up and has a hard time in trusting anyone. She keeps her walls up so she wouldn't get hurt again. Following the fallout of SHIELD, HYDRA agents are sent to capture her. After the turn of events, she finds the Winter Soldier in the middle of the road and is left with no choice but to let him in because he is the only one who can protect her from HYDRA.

Bucky Barnes finally escapes the grasps of HYDRA. He made it his mission to discover the man he once was. An encounter between a hacker who is a target to HYDRA changes everything. From this enigmatic girl, he slowly reconnects to his roots. Bucky attempts to leave behind his days as the Winter Soldier, but it's lingering remnants always finds its way to haunt him. He finds himself experience foreign emotions he never thought he would feel.

How will these unlikely pair of fugitives find their way for the redemption they deserve?

* * *

 ** _Code 01  
_** ** _The Stranger_**

* * *

 _"Can you remember my name  
_ _As I flow through your life  
_ _A thousand oceans I have flown  
_ _And cold spirits of ice  
_ _All my life  
_ _I am the echo of your past."  
_ _-Perfect Strangers, Deep Purple_

* * *

 _"I'm with you to the end of the line, pal."_ The hauntingly familiar words ringed through his ears.

The man on the bridge wasn't lying. He did knew him. They were once friends in the past. How could he not realize it sooner?

He tried processing the following events and realized that he tried to kill his own friend. The man on the bridge didn't fight back because he believed that his best friend was still inside of what he became.

Saving the man on the bridge from plummeting to his death wasn't sufficient. He didn't have it in himself to return to him. Instead, he left him at the shores of the Potomac. First, he had to find out who really was before coming back to him.

All he could feel was this anger and emptiness within him. He wanted to inflict pain upon HYDRA, just like what they did to him. Drenched and wet from diving into the water, he was determined in confronting HYDRA.

The man on the bridge did quite a number on him. His body stung in pain from the bruises that he received from the man and the falling metal parts and glass of the Helicarrier. He might have had dislocated his right arm, and luckily, his left metal arm appeared to be functioning normally.

After struggling his way out of a series of trees, he stumbled upon an abandoned road and decided to follow that if it could bring him to the city. He limped in pain as he held onto his dislocated arm.

The next thing he knew was that there was a baby blue Jeep driving its way towards him. Behind the Jeep was three black vans.

This was definitely trouble and he had the urge to stop it.

* * *

Trust was something that had to be earned. But the feeling of betrayal felt as if someone you trusted twisted the knife through your chest.

Galatea Villiers didn't know if she could ever move on from this. Everyone she believed in turned out to be deceiving her.

Apparently, SHIELD has been compromised. It turns out that HYDRA had been inside SHIELD for a very long time. It all happened too quickly. Most of the people she knew turned out to be HYDRA agents. They almost eliminated every other innocent SHIELD agents in front of her eyes.

Luckily, she escaped from the computer lab and raced to her Jeep in one piece. She sustained bruises and cuts from being tortured by the man who betrayed her. She licked her lips and tasted copper. She wiped away the blood on her mouth from a cut.

Her heart beat rapidly because of the adrenaline she experienced. There were three HYDRA vans tailgating behind her. Galatea's breathing was uneven and hitched because she was freaking out inside. She didn't know where she was going, as long as she was away from HYDRA. But they found a way to keep coming back to her.

She took a glance at her rear view mirror of the Jeep and her eyes widened, "You've got to be kidding me." The HYDRA agents had guns and they were pointing it at her Jeep.

The next thing she knew was that they shot their guns at her. She heard bullets hitting her Jeep and glass shattering from the back, "Shit." She muttered angrily as she swerved her Jeep into an abandoned road.

HYDRA was after her because she knew too much, and she was an important asset in SHIELD because of her hacking skills.

As she stepped on the gas pedal and speeded the mileage of the Jeep, Galatea suddenly saw a black figure in the middle of the road. She smashed her foot into the brakes and stopped the Jeep so she wouldn't hit the stranger clad in black.

This stranger was oddly suspicious. He had long, shoulder length brown hair and icy blue eyes that stared back at her. He was dressed in black and even wore body armor. She noticed that he looked beaten up and worn down. He was drenched and wet as well.

What intrigued her the most was his metal arm which had a red star marked on it. She had a feeling that he might be either associated to HYDRA or SHIELD. His appearance screamed danger.

Behind her, the HYDRA vans stopped and seven agents got out of the vehicle and pointed their guns at her and the stranger.

"Oracle, evacuate out of the vehicle and put your hands up in the air. Surrender and no one has to get hurt." The HYDRA agent shouted at her.

Before leaving the Jeep, she grabbed a pocket knife from her stash and hid it inside the pockets of her jeans. She wasn't going down that easily without a fight.

Galatea stepped out of the Jeep and did as what she was told. She slowly put her arms up in the air.

"You too!" The HYDRA agent commanded rudely at the stranger that was standing in front of her Jeep.

Another HYDRA agent said, "That's the Winter Soldier!" There was fear laced in his voice after saying that name.

 _The Winter Soldier?_ Galatea heard rumors about the Winter Soldier. He was nothing but a mere ghost story amongst the organization. A ruthless assassin who killed in precise and disappeared like a ghost. This man killed many people in the last seventy years without hesitation or remorse. But here he was, standing right in front of her eyes.

All she knew was that she was definitely screwed.

He took a moment and examined the woman's appearance. She had long, dark brown hair that looked a bit messy. She was wearing a black and white striped short sleeved crop top with black jeans and black combat boots. He also noticed the SHIELD badge on her. She had pale skin and plain brown eyes. There was a small bloody cut on her forehead and bruises on her lanky hands and one at her jaw. It looked like someone was out to get her because most of the HYDRA agents were pointing there guns at them.

Her gaze turned to the Winter Soldier and their eyes met one another. It looked like he was thinking the same thing as her. They both didn't want to surrender to HYDRA. But there were seven HYDRA agents, only her and the stranger. But he was the Winter Soldier for crying out loud. So she was left with no choice but to comply.

The HYDRA agents pointed their guns behind them as Galatea and the Winter Soldier slowly walked towards the black vans. After the Winter Soldier nodded at Galatea, she knew what he was about to do.

The Winter Soldier elbowed the HYDRA agent behind him at the guts and attacked them. After one swift punch in the face, the HYDRA agent passed out and the Winter Soldier grabbed the gun and shot the remaining agents.

Even though he was injured and worn down, the Winter Soldier continued to fight. He shot every last agents that were advancing towards him.

Galatea was tackled towards the black van and she hit her back from the impact. She yelped in pain and took out the pocket knife from her pockets. Galatea stabbed the agent that was about to shoot her at the lower abdomen and she shrieked when the Winter Soldier shot him down.

In the span of four minutes, the Winter Soldier managed to take down seven agents using a gun. This was a lot to swallow for Galatea. She saw most of the agents lying dead on the concrete road and noticed the blood on her hands after stabbing the agent.

Galatea freaked out inside because she stabbed someone. But she was just defending herself.

Suspicious about the woman, the Winter Soldier perceived her as a threat and he suddenly pointed the gun at her.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Galatea questioned him as she began to feel the adrenaline of fear. Why would he do this to her?

"Who are you?!" The Winter Soldier demanded from her as she began to panic inside. His deep, yet vindictive voice startled Galatea.

"Galatea Villiers, SHIELD's computer hacker." She replied to him as her breathing became uneasy, "I'm not the bad guy, I swear! Please don't kill me!" She cowered in fear from the ruthlessness of the Winter Soldier.

The tone in her voice was laced with fear and it looked like she was telling the truth. He had a hard time trusting anyone because everyone ventured out in pursuing him.

"They're after you." He clearly stated as still pointed the gun at her, "Why?"

"I just know too much." Galatea replied vaguely. She wasn't comfortable in sharing information with a dangerous assassin.

This woman was a hacker. Maybe she could be of use to him since she was skilled in computers. She could even help him remember his past once more.

She turned around and attempted to escape, but she suddenly felt something cold grab her hand.

Galatea looked down and saw the Winter Soldier's metal hand holding onto her hand. His grip onto her was tight and there was something dangerous inside of him. "Help me, or I'll kill you." He threatened her. She saw the blood leaking from his abdomen and realized that one of the HYDRA agents shot him.

She could use this moment at her advantage. Since Galatea wasn't a skilled fighter, the Winter Soldier could protect her. Plus, she knew there was a reason that he needed her help besides the injury. She wanted to know what he really wanted from her.

"Look, I may not know you that well but HYDRA after me. With you in the equation, we're both screwed." Galatea pointed out. If he tagged a long, they would be compromised since HYDRA wanted him too. After seeing his injury, she could't just leave him behind. " _But_ you saved my life. I guess I don't have any other choice since you're going to kill me if I don't comply."

He let go of her and dropped the gun on the ground, much to Galatea's surprise.

The two fugitives entered the Jeep and Galatea turned on the engine of her vehicle. She was sitting at the drivers seat while the Winter Soldier sat on the passenger seat. She drove forward and away from the scene. Galatea had no idea where she was going, as long as she was away, she was fine.

She knew that she was going to regret this, but it was worth the shot.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Yass! Finished the chapter! I hope you like my fanfic! It will follow the aftermath of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and will focus on Bucky trying to find himself before coming back to Steve. My story will have a much serious tone and will show a more realistic, darker side of him because of what he endured. The next chapter sets off the adventure that Bucky and Galatea will have to face. Please review, follow, or favorite! Feedback helps me keep going! :)**


	2. Show Me A Hero

**_Code 02  
_** _ **Show Me A Hero**_

* * *

 _"I'll wait, so show me why you're strong  
Ignore everybody else,  
We're alone now."  
_ _-Retrograde, James Blake_

* * *

Not knowing where the safest place would be for two fugitives, Galatea mentally debated on whether or not she should return back to her apartment unit.

But she eventually gave in and decided to come back to her dwelling place. There weren't any more places for Galatea to hide in. She planned on remaining at her apartment for a short time while figuring out where to hide.

The main problem was the dangerous assassin sitting inside her Jeep. What was she going to do to him? If he stayed with her, he would just weigh her down. But if she abandoned him, who would protect her?

Galatea knew that she had to think this through and had to make the right choice.

The rest of the car drive was silent and no one exchanged any words. She kept glancing back and forth at the Winter Soldier and it looked like he was lost in thought.

She had a feeling that he had been through a lot today. His hair started to dry from being drenched and wet.

But she noticed him pressing his hand on his abdomen which slowly seeped his blood. Galatea was horrified about the fact that his blood was staining her leather passenger seat because she was a certified clean freak and she worked hard in saving money to purchase this Jeep.

"You need help. I'm taking you to the hospital." Galatea declared as she was about to make a right turn towards a nearby hospital.

"No." The Winter Soldier sharply finalized with a glare.

Surprised at his response, Galatea arched an eyebrow, " _No_? You're gonna bleed to death if I don't do anything! Are you telling me what to do?!"

"I am." He stated because he clearly didn't appreciate her attitude.

She then remembered he was the one with the metal arm and he had the likely chance to win this little argument because of his dangerous demeanor.

"Fine." Galatea scoffed as she made a U-turn and was on her away to return to the apartment. She then started rambling over how leaving his wounds unattended and he simply ignored her.

Once they arrived to her apartment unit, Galatea and the Winter Soldier sneakily entered the building and luckily, no one spotted them.

She quickly used her keys to open her apartment room and successfully did so. Galatea rushed the Winter Soldier to enter inside the room.

She locked the door behind her because Galatea was afraid if any intruders would trespass and catch them.

The first thing she had to do was tend the Winter Soldier's wounds before doing anything else.

"Okay." Galatea began as she pointed towards the couch, "Sit there and take off your armor because it looks like _I'm_ the one who has to patch you up. I don't even have any first aid experience whatsoever." She wanted to ramble on all the more reasons why she didn't want to do this, but it would waste more time for her.

Without hesitation, the Winter Soldier took out the black body armor. After he did so, Galatea's eyes widened after seeing his abdomen.

"Holy shit." Galatea breathed in awe. The gunshot wound was gone. It quickly healed and it was as if it never happened. All that was left was the bloodstains on his skin. "Y-You heal fast."

He remained silent after seeing Galatea's reaction. He didn't know what to say so he thought it was better if he didn't explain anything to her.

She began to notice the Winter Soldier's fit and toned body. Galatea started to feel attracted by his appearance. She felt her cheeks go warm as she felt butterflies in her stomach.

But what got her attention was the Winter Soldier's metal arm. She saw the scars that seared from the metal. The red star marked on his shoulder made her wonder what it meant. She wanted to know how he got the metal arm but knew it might be a sensitive question for him to answer.

Her image reflected onto the steel metal as she stared at it. Galatea couldn't imagine what kind of horror he had to endure in ending up this way.

He began to notice that there was a mix of fear and curiousity in her eyes, which caused him to use his other hand to hold onto the other.

Galatea then gazed at the Winter Soldier's icy blue eyes and thought there was a story behind that emptiness she saw in him. She felt bad for staring at him for too long after she saw him shift his eyes away from her and down at the ground shamefully.

She couldn't help but feel bad for him.

 _He's an assassin for crying out loud!_ Her mind screamed a warning about him. He was still someone she shouldn't be trusting. For all she know, he would kill her at a moment of vulnerability.

Galatea cleared her throat and went back straight to the point, "Whoever _or_ whatever you are, you better have a good explanation as to what happened to you earlier?"

"It's none of your concern." The Winter Soldier retorted back at her.

"Are you serious?" Galatea said in disbelief, "No offense, you look like hell. You were soaking wet and it looked like you seen a ghost when I saw you at the road."

The piercing, uncomfortable silence returned between the two.

"Fine, I'll just have to wait for a definite answer 'till next time." Galatea sighed in defeat. " _Anyway_ , we have a lot of things to clear out. I have a lot of questions for you to answer. Since you're not telling me anything about what happened to you, how about you tell me why you need my help?"

"You're a hacker." The Winter Soldier responded, "You can help me remember."

"Remember?" Galatea was confused about that particular part, "You don't have any memories?"

"Something like that." He shrugged as he shoved away the sick feeling he felt inside.

 _Is HYDRA responsible in turning him into a killing machine?_ Galatea couldn't believe that HYDRA would take away his memories so he could become the Winter Soldier.

Now the bigger question was who the Winter Soldier really was before he became this way.

Since he wasn't that much of a talker, Galatea knew she wouldn't get anything out of him sooner or later.

She eventually realized that the Winter Soldier was sitting on her couch and was shirtless right in front of her.

"Um— uh, I'll get you a shirt. Just stay there for a moment." Galatea told him as she rushed inside an empty room at her left and quickly grabbed a random shirt stashed inside a closet.

That was one of her older brother's clothes. Since he was gone, no one would ever use those again until now.

Once she grabbed a long sleeved red Henley shirt and dark blue jeans, Galatea walked back to the main room and handed the shirt and jeans to him.

"I think you should shower and rest before we can figure this out." Galatea said to him. "The bathroom is at the third door on your left."

He followed right behind her as she opened the bathroom door for him.

"You know how to use a shower, right?" Galatea questioned him. She was uncomfortable in asking such a private question but she had to be professional about it.

The Winter Soldier nodded stiffly in response as he clutched onto the spare clothes she gave him.

"Good." Galatea sighed in relief, "I'll just be in my room over there." She gestured at the next door near the bathroom.

He gave one last glance at Galatea before closing the door

She looked down on her hands and noticed that there were bloodstains from stabbing the HYDRA agent earlier.

 _It was self-defense._ Galatea kept telling herself that because she didn't know that she had it in herself to hurt someone.

Galatea entered the kitchen area and opened the sink faucet. She placed her fidgeting hands onto the cool water and she scrubbed the blood away.

She tried shoving away every memory and pain she endured back at the SHIELD headquarters.

The fear, the pang of betrayal. She hated feeling weak because she didn't do anything except cry for help.

Once her hands were clean, she closed the faucet and used a towel to dry her hands. Then, she walked towards the couch and sat there lazily.

Her tired legs gave in and this was the first time in the last eighteen hours that she got the chance to rest.

She slumped her back onto the couch and decided to clear her mind by watching some television. Galatea grabbed the TV remote and opened it.

As she flipped through various channels, there was one particular channel that caught her attention. The news channel.

" _Breaking new! There has been series of explosions that took place at Washington DC."_ The news reported said urgently, _"To top that off, the U.S. government believes that the now exposed organization, SHIELD, is a threat amongst our society after today's fallout."_

The news then showed a video footage of the Helicarriers falling apart. Since she was _formerly_ a Level 9 SHIELD agent, Galatea was aware of the purpose of the Helicarriers and Project Insight. But she didn't see SHIELD's collapse coming— thanks to HYDRA screwing everything up.

The next video footage showed Captain America beating up some HYDRA thugs and some guy with wings flying around up in the sky.

She was a big fan of Captain America but she never got the chance to meet him.

Galatea's eyes widened at the next video image that the news channel was exposing. It showed a man clad in black carrying a large gun shooting at every man who stood in his way.

Even though the video was blurry, Galatea knew who that man was.

The Winter Soldier.

 _So that was what he was up to._ Galatea thought to herself with realization in her expression.

She couldn't believe that the man that was showering inside her bathroom was partly responsible for the chaos that ensued eighteen hours ago. Not to mention that he was an assassin who was feared by the entire intelligence community.

Galatea knew nothing about him and the things he had to go through during his time in HYDRA. She wanted to know, but she hated being nosey and it looked like he won't ever open up to her. He sure had a lot of explaining to do.

She didn't know if she could trust him or not because everyone betrayed her in the end.

* * *

The warmth of the water soothed him down. He never felt this relaxed in his entire lifetime.

He was free from HYDRA. Free from being controlled and told what to do. Free from the agonizing torment that he had to endure. Free from everything.

But he had to keep running from his enemies. That would be the life he had to live with until it was safe.

He closed the faucets of the shower and stepped out to change into the spare clothes Galatea gave to him. He wondered who these clothes belonged to and why she would have men clothes lying inside her apartment.

He wiped the mirror from the steam that the shower exposed. Once it was clear, he began to stare at his own reflection. He moved a strand away and tucked it at the back of his ear because his dark brown hair framed his face.

As he stared back into the reflection of his blue eyes, he curled his fists and his jaw clenched as he forced himself to remember his past life.

That one simple line that the man on the bridge said to him triggered something within him. He wanted to remember, but it had to come on its own. He couldn't force it.

He had to put his fate in a woman he just met. She was the only one who wasn't out in hunting him down. Since HYDRA was after them both, they had no choice but to trust each other.

But he started to hesitate on whether or not she would help him remember. Even though the hacker didn't want to admit it, she was afraid of him. He wondered if she would stop viewing him as the dangerous assassin that everyone displayed him as.

 _I'm just deluding myself._ Bucky despondently thought to himself. _She's just going to abandon me in the end._ He had a long history in being used and left behind.

He was unsure if Galatea would do the same thing. So he clung onto hope that she would never leave him.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thanks to my fellow reviewers!**

 _MissSweetApple28- Thank you! I'm glad you like my story and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)_

 _Regin- Thank you! Hope this chapter satisfies you! :)_

 _Pastel Quartz- Aww! Thank you! Your review made me even more motivated to update! I hope my story lives up to everyone and your expectations. :)_

 **Wow guys! Thank you for the reviews, follows, and favorites! I feel so motivated in writing more because of you guys! And if you have any questions, concerns, the need to let out your feels, or constructive crticism, don't hesitate to review.**

 **Aww! Poor Bucky! He's starting to doubt himself! Also Galatea! What will happen between them now? They both put their guard up and have trust issues because Bucky has been seen as the Asset and a weapon to use for HYDRA while the people closest to Galatea ended up betraying and leaving her.**

 **More things concerning about what Galatea had to go through during the day when SHIELD fell will be delved into in the next chapter. There will be moments in which Bucky will slowly heal and he might perhaps remember some small things about his past with Steve ;)**

 **Plus there will be more relationship build up between Bucky and Galatea. At first, she see's him as this legendary, cold-blooded murderer but as the story progesses, she'll later see him as a misunderstood man trying to find answers.**

 **I love slowburn romance because it would be more realistic. Stay tuned in the next chapter! :)**


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